A section of councilors in Mityana Municipality missed council meeting on Thursday in protest of the continued imprisonment of National Unity Platform-NUP supporters.
The angry councilors, majority from NUP claim that a number of people were arrested and imprisoned during the 2021 campaigns and election period on false accusations.
They held placards and marched out of the council hall while chanting and demanding the release of political prisoners including Kawempe North Member of Parliament Muhammad Ssegirinya and Makindye West MP Allan Sewanyana.
The councilors also noted that it is useless to continue to debate while their colleagues are rotting in jail, and vowed not to attend any other council meeting until their electorates are released unconditionally.
According to Barbara Numulema the Mityana North Ward councilor, many of their supporters were arrested on trumped-up charges and they need them back.
Speaker Daniel Kamulegeya said that he could not proceed to conduct council meetings without the required number of councilors but promised that arrangements will be made to have another council sitting.
Kamulegeya told journalists that the order paper had important issues which required the council’s approval to enable citizens to get service delivery. He said that it is the council’s mandate to approve the work plans and budgets for the technical team to implement.
He added that efforts to calm down the rowdy councilors were futile which forced him to adjourn the council until further notice.
Mityana Municipality Mayor, Mukambwe Faustin Lukonge said the protest was a sign of dissatisfaction towards the government and security personnel who have failed to deliver justice to the people.
The protests by Councilors of Mityana Municipality come after those in Kawempe Division, Kampala District, and MPs who walked out of the house a few weeks back.
